Skimmer and oil water separator process

ABSTRACT

A skimmer for removing a layer of oil floating on a surface oil contaminated water which subsequently concentrated and separated in an oil water separator which removes tramp oils or other fluids, such as hydraulic oils, with specific gravity less than that of the operating fluid are required to be removed from operating fluid such as water, lubri-coolants or other liquids. The skimmer supplies concentrated oil water composite fluid to a separator apparatus designed for use in industrial applications in which unwanted tramp oils or other fluids, such as hydraulic oils, with specific gravity less than that of the operating fluid are required to be removed from operating fluid such as water, lubri-coolants or other liquids.

CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation-In-Part of U.S. application Ser. No.______ (Atty. Docket No. AR125/2013.4) filed on Dec. 5, 2016 whichclaims priority from U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/386,495filed on Dec. 3, 2015 and is a Continuation-In-Part of U.S. applicationSer. No. 14/120,685 filed on Jun. 16, 2014 claiming priority form U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/956,794 filed on Jun. 15, 2013 allof which are incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to skimmer devices for removing oilfloating on the surface of an oil/water composite fluid for furtherprocessing in an oil/water separator.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Oil-water mixtures resulting from industrial activities has producedserious pollution problems when discharged into the environment and evenfor facilities with wastewater treatment systems, the discharge of largevolumes of oily waste water is an expensive and difficult treatmentburden.

Machine parts or heat treated parts are often washed in parts washingtanks, and the washing solution is contaminated with manufacturing oilsand heat treating quench oil and it is necessary to haul theoil-contaminated wash water away to disposal sites or for furtherseparation treatment.

Furthermore, the separation of mixtures of oil and water includeeconomic considerations, and work place safety and health. Contaminationin the parts washing solutions and/or cutting, grinding, and metalprocessing operations contribute to an inefficient cleaning processwhich typically requires secondary cleaning and manufacturing steps tocorrect. The treatment and/or separation of fluids results in an addedexpense and time requirement to the manufacturing process.

Several types of treatment methods and systems have been developed inefforts to efficiently separate oil from water-oil mixtures. Onetreatment method is filtration, by which oil is entrapped by a filterand may be accomplished by conventional methods such as by barrierfilters having bag and cartridge filters, or by membrane filters whichare designed to remove emulsified oil from water. These types of filterstend to clog quickly, and are time consuming and expensive to replace.

Coalescers in horizontal separators is another conventional means toseparate fluids. Coalescers are generally tightly packed beds ofcoalescing media or closely spaced plates, which aid in the separationof oil from water. Typical coalescer configurations are stacks ofclosely spaced plates, angled from vertical to horizontal. The platesmay also be grooved or channeled, or wavy. Under the influence ofgravity, oil separates from an oil/water mixture at a rate determined byStokes law which predicts how fast an object will rise or fall through aheavier fluid based on the density and size of the object and thedistance it must travel. In a packed media bed coalescer fluids areexposed to large amounts of surface area provided by the coalescingmedia. For instance, as an oil-water mixture passes through this media,oil droplets are temporarily held by the coalescing media where they areexposed to further contact with oil molecules in the mixture. Thisphysical contact on the surface of the coalescer media has the effect ofincreasing or coalescing the size of the oil droplets in the mixture. Inclosely spaced plate and corrugated coalescing separators oil rises onlya short distance where it is captured on the underside of the coalescingplates. The use of coalescers can improve the performance of horizontalseparators; however, the coalescers are very susceptible to clogging insome separation processes.

Vertical separators generally involve discharge of an oil-water mixtureinto a vertical conduit, which is generally open at the bottom of acontainer such as a collecting tank. The mixture is discharged neareither the upper end or the lower end of the tube and as the mixtureflows into the tube, the oil rises and the water sinks, effectingseparation of the two different fluids. The cleaner water is dischargedfrom the bottom of the tube into the surrounding water, whereas the oilcollects at the top of the tube. The oil may be collected be means of atube and a pump, or it may be discharged by means of an overflow tube.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A skimmer removes a layer of oil floating on a surface oil contaminatedwater which subsequently concentrated and separated in an oil waterseparator which removes tramp oils or other fluids, such as hydraulicoils, with specific gravity less than that of the operating fluid arerequired to be removed from operating fluid such as water,lubri-coolants or other liquids. The skimmer supplies concentrated oilwater composite fluid to a separator apparatus designed for use inindustrial applications in which unwanted tramp oils or other fluids,such as hydraulic oils, with specific gravity less than that of theoperating fluid are required to be removed from operating fluid such aswater, lubri-coolants or other liquids.

The skimmer for an oil water separator of the present invention includesa stationary receiver box having a bottom connecting to side panels andfront and bottom panels supported by brackets which are affixed to theinside of a tank which is filled with water and oil contaminants. Thefront panel of the receiver box includes a central longitudinal slotextending vertically along the bottom portion thereof.

A slidable weir plate including a central longitudinal slot on the lowerportion is slideably received within the stationary receiver box andslidably held in an aligned selected position with respect to the slotof the stationary receiver box and held in position by a single boltallowing the plate “play” or limited movement to eliminate binding ofthe plate within the receiver box when movement of the liquid thereincauses movement of floats held by the slidable weir plate. The topportion of the slidable weir plate includes a slightly lower cutawayportion comprising a weir for removal of oil floating on the surface ofa fluid in fluid communication with the stationary receiver box. A pairof generally rectangular floats are removably and adjustably attached bylongitudinal vertical flanges extending from the inner sides tocooperatively and slidably engage side plate side tabs extending outwardlaterally from the upper portion of the slidable weir plate. Floatflanges and/or slide plate tabs include indicia to enable the floats tobe adjusted with respect to the slide plate in order to optimize theskimming capability of the skimmer by adjusting the position of theslide plate weir with respect to the oil floating on the surface of thecontaminated fluid and the level of water in the tank and stationaryreservoir. Moreover, the attachment of the slide plate by a single boltor pin allows the plate to pivot slightly and minimize binding caused bywaves of fluid motion against the floats which tend to cause the weirplate to cock and get in a bind. A point of novelty lies in using asingle attachment point allowing some pivotaiton of the skimmer weirreducing friction on the weir plate and minimizing binding of the weirplate against the receiver box.

The composite fluid oil water separator is capable of isolating a firstliquid from a composite fluid having a first and second liquid, in whichthe first and second liquid has differing specific gravities. Thecomposite fluid oil water separator can be used primarily to removetramp oils from cutting & cleaning fluids. The present inventionincludes features such as the rotating plastic (or composite) drum formechanical removal, the automatic adjustable overflow tube for raisingthe liquid level during the purge cycle for purging secondary(remaining) oil that gets past the drum, and a water conveyor which isvery good a moving the oil to the drum for removal. Additionally, thepresent invention can be used for the separation of particulate fromfluids in any setting.

Oil water separators depend upon the use of gravity to separate amixture of oil and water. Gravity separation exploits the difference inspecific gravity between oil and water. Conventional gravity separatorsknown in the art often consists of a large holding tank, in which oilrises to the surface of the water. The tanks must be substantiallyturbulent free to operate, and require an additional means to remove theoil. The tanks are filled and as the oil collects at the surface it isremoved and the water returned for reuse or discharged. These tanks areslow, and require very large surface areas. In horizontal gravityseparators, water enters at one side of a horizontal tank, and as itflows to the other side, the oil rises to the surface, where it can becollected. The cleaner water is then discharged from another side of thetank. The oil is typically collected by means of baffles which hold theoil-water interface below the top of the baffle; the floating oil whichaccumulates above the interface then spills over the top and into aseparate compartment from which it can be collected and discharged.

It is an object of the present skimmer invention to provide a skimmerfor separating and concentrating oil from a water mixture based upon thespecific gravity of the lighter fluid floating on the denser and heavierfluid whereby the concentrated oil containing water contaminants isfurther processed in an oil water separator apparatus which can be of aminimum size for concentrating the oil based on a smaller throughputvolume as compared to the oil and water fluid prior to being processedwith the skimmer.

It is another object of the present skimmer invention to provide forattachment of the slide plate by a single bolt or pin allows the plateto pivot slightly and minimize binding caused by waves of fluid motionagainst the floats which tend to cause the weir plate to cock and get ina bind and use of a single attachment point allows some pivotaiton ofthe skimmer weir reducing friction on the weir plate and minimizingbinding of the weir plate against the receiver box.

It is an object of the present invention to remove oil at 2 gallons/hourwhen operating a 10 gallons/minute flow rate through the unit. Theunit/design is scalable to accommodate many various throughputs (inletflow rates) and outputs (oil removal rates).

It is an object of the present invention to provide a composite fluidoil water separator for removing targeted constituencies from fluidstreams based upon the different densities of the fluids.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an oil-waterseparator which has low maintenance and easy to operate and can beoperated in-line as in an industrial setting.

It is another object of the present invention to remove tramp oils fromcutting and cleaning fluids.

It is another object of the present invention to utilize a rotating drumcomprised of a material which has an attractive affinity for oil and isremovable.

It is another object of the present invention to utilize a rotating drumwhich may be covered or coated with a substance which has an affinityfor a selected liquid or a suspended solid particulate matter whichenhances the adhesion of the liquid or suspended solid particulatematter thereto.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a removablerotating drum including magnet means for adhering macro and microscopicmagnetic metal particles.

It is another object of the present invention to provide rotating drummeans for application of charged coatings or surfaces for attractingparticular substrates thereto.

It is another object of the present invention to provide means forpurging secondary (remaining) oil or other separated component that getspass the rotating drum via an automatic, electric or air actuatedadjustable overflow tube or weir to raise the liquid level for purging.

It is another object of the present invention to utilize a liquidconveyor (such as a water conveyor) to move the separatable component(such as oil) within contact with the rotatable drum.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an oil-waterseparator which has a small footprint and is easy to install.

It is another object of the present invention to capture unwanted oilsin solution and mechanically removes from liquid.

It is another object of the present invention to include a second stagepurge cycle to eliminate accumulated, residual oils.

It is another object of the present invention to reduces disposal costsby removing oil from oil laden solutions.

It is another object of the present invention to increase theperformance and life cycle costs of equipment.

It is another object of the present invention to utilize an oil waterseparation apparatus which provides low operating costs (5 scfmCompressed Air, ½ HP Single Phase Motor).

Other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will beapparent with the following detailed description taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings showing a preferred embodiment of theinvention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A better understanding of the present invention will be had uponreference to the following description in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings in which like numerals refer to like partsthroughout the views wherein:

FIG. 1 shows the Quiescent/Coalescent inner chamber which receives oilysolution inlet from process;

FIG. 2 shows the Water Conveyor wherein the oily solution is carried tothe rotating drum for removal of tramp oil;

FIG. 3 shows the Mechanical Oil Separation wherein the floating trampsoils are mechanically removed from the solution;

FIG. 4 shows the Secondary Quiescent/Coalescent chamber which is acontinuation of the Mechanical Oil Separation chamber of FIG. 3 designedto allow more retention time within the unit for separation of fluids;

FIG. 5 shows the Oil Purge Chamber which receives any residual trampoils that was not removed by the rotating drum wherein the tramp oilsare allowed to continually build on the surface of the solution for aperiod of time;

FIG. 6 shows the Clean Solution, Adjustable Outlet wherein the chamberreceives clean solution from Stage 4 shown in FIG. 4 and the clean fluidflows up through an adjustable outlet pipe and discharges out toprocess;

FIG. 7 shows the purge cycle and circulation of the composite feedfluid, concentrate product (tramp oil outlet), purge oil outlet, andclean fluid outlet;

FIG. 8 shows the separation unit circulation of the composite feedfluid, concentrate product, purge product outlet, and clean fluidoutlet;

FIG. 9 shows the laminar flow of the lighter density fluid componentcomprising an oil floating on the higher density fluid component waterover the fluid conveyor in close proximity to the rotating drumseparator;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the clean solution chamber showing theadjustable outlet pipe and discharge using an air operated pancakecylinder and purge oil overflow weir;

FIG. 11 is a top plan view of an oil water separator in accordance withthe present invention showing a clean outlet compartment, purgecompartment, purge outlet compartment, coaslescing/quiescent tank, waterconveyor and a single drum module;

FIG. 12 is a top plan view of an oil water separator in accordance withthe present invention showing a clean outlet compartment, purgecompartment, purge outlet compartment, coaslescing/quiescent tank, waterconveyor and a double drum module;

FIG. 13 is a side view showing the double drum oil water separator unitof FIG. 14;

FIG. 14 is a perspective top view showing the rotating drum and wiper ofan oil water separation unit in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 15 is a perspective top view of an oil water separator inaccordance with the present invention showing a clean outletcompartment, purge compartment, purge outlet compartment,coaslescing/quiescent tank, water conveyor and a single drum module withwiper;

FIG. 16 is a flow diagram showing the features of an oil water separatorin accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a front view of the skimmer showing the floats, stationaryreceiver box and adjustable skimmer weir plate;

FIG. 18 is a top view of FIG. 17;

FIG. 19 is a right side view of FIG. 19;

FIG. 20 is a front view of the skimmer floats attachment bracketsshowing the depth indicia as a vertical scale of hash marks formed,marked, or applied as a tape to the movable vertical inner sides of thebrackets holding the floats to the skimmer;

FIG. 21 is a front view of the adjustable skimmer weir plate;

FIG. 22 is a front view of the skimmer showing the weir plate in thedown position with the floats attaching thereto by the flat bracketsattached to tabs extending from the weir plate which is slidable withinthe frame attaching to a the interior of a tank filled with fluid;

FIG. 23 is a bottom view of FIG. 22;

FIG. 24 is perspective view of the skimmer apparatus disposed in a tankfor collecting water and oil fluids from a process showing theattachment of the skimmer to the interior wall of the tank with a pairof floats suspended in the fluid with the weir plate therebetween withthe tank in fluid connection with an oil/water separator;

FIG. 25 is a perspective view of the skimmer apparatus of FIG. 24disposed in a tank for collecting water and oil fluids from a processshowing the attachment of the skimmer to the interior wall of the tankwith a pair of floats suspended in the fluid with the weir platetherebetween;

FIG. 26 is a perspective view of the skimmer apparatus of FIG. 25disposed in a tank for collecting water and oil fluids from a processshowing the attachment of the skimmer to the interior wall of the tankwith a pair of floats suspended in the fluid attaching having floatbrackets including a vertical slot attaching to tabs or flangesextending from the weir plate therebetween and showing oil floating onwater floating over the top of the skimmer weir plate;

FIG. 27 is a perspective top view of the skimmer showing the bracketsfor holding the stationary skimmer receiver box to the side wall of atank containing fluid to be processed and the flanges attaching to theweir plate;

FIG. 28 is an enlarged view of FIG. 27 skimmer showing the brackets forholding the stationary skimmer receiver box to the side wall and a floatattaching to a float bracket which is movable vertically with respect tothe stationary receiver box and showing an indicator on the weir plateflanges pointing to indicia shown as a scale on the movable floatbracket;

FIG. 29 shows a partial perspective front view of the skimmer shown inFIG. 27 showing the brackets for holding the stationary skimmer receiverbox to the side wall and a float attaching to a float bracket which ismovable vertically with respect to the stationary receiver box andshowing an indicator on the weir plate flange pointing to indicia shownas a scale on the movable float bracket;

FIG. 30 shows a front perspective view of the skimmer with an attachmentnut disposed in a vertical slot for slidably holding the weir platewithin the receiver box, showing the skimmed fluid downspout and thefloats held by movable float brackets to the stationary receiver.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularexample embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As usedherein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” may be intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “including,” and“having,” are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of statedfeatures, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, butdo not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features,integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groupsthereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described hereinare not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance inthe particular order discussed or illustrated, unless specificallyidentified as an order of performance. It is also to be understood thatadditional or alternative steps may be employed.

When an element or layer is referred to as being “on,” “engaged to,”“connected to,” or “coupled to” another element or layer, it may bedirectly on, engaged, connected or coupled to the other element orlayer, or intervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast,when an element is referred to as being “directly on,” “directly engagedto,” “directly connected to,” or “directly coupled to” another elementor layer, there may be no intervening elements or layers present. Otherwords used to describe the relationship between elements should beinterpreted in a like fashion (e.g., “between” versus “directlybetween,” “adjacent” versus “directly adjacent,” etc.). As used herein,the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more ofthe associated listed items.

Although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein todescribe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections,these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should notbe limited by these terms. These terms may be only used to distinguishone element, component, region, layer or section from another region,layer or section. Terms such as “first,” “second,” and other numericalterms when used herein do not imply a sequence or order unless clearlyindicated by the context. Thus, a first element, component, region,layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element,component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachingsof the example embodiments.

Spatially relative terms, such as “inner,” “outer,” “beneath,” “below,”“lower,” “above,” “upper,” and the like, may be used herein for ease ofdescription to describe one element or feature's relationship to anotherelement(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. Spatiallyrelative terms may be intended to encompass different orientations ofthe device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depictedin the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turnedover, elements described as “below” or “beneath” other elements orfeatures would then be oriented “above” the other elements or features.Thus, the example term “below” can encompass both an orientation ofabove and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptorsused herein interpreted accordingly.

As used herein, the term “about” can be reasonably appreciated by aperson skilled in the art to denote somewhat above or somewhat below thestated numerical value, to within a range of ±10%.

For purposes of discussion, the composite fluid separator will comprisean oil and water solution wherein oil is the contaminate which isremoved from the water. Of course it is contemplated that any fluidshaving densities or specific gravities lighter than that of water orprimary solution can be removed.

The oil water fluid separator unit is designed to be used in industrialapplications in which unwanted tramp oils or other fluids, such ashydraulic oils, with specific gravity less than that of the operatingfluid are required to be removed from operating fluid such as water,lubri-coolants, oils, or other liquids having different densities areseparated one from another comprising, consisting essentially and orconsisting of the apparatus and process steps described hereafter.

As shown in FIG. 1, the present invention comprises or consists of awater tight main tank 12 including a primary quiescent/coalescentchamber 20, a liquid conveyor 54, a rotating drum 56 and gear motorassembly, drum wiper, mechanical oil separation chamber, secondaryquiescent/coalescent chamber, purge oil chamber, purge oil baffle,concentrated product chamber 64, and clean fluid chamber.

The processing of the liquid containing the highest concentration ofmaterial to be separated is transferred by a pump 13 through line 14 andport 15 into the quiescent/coalescent inner chamber 20 which iscentrally disposed within the main tank 12. The quiescent/coalescentchamber comprises a generally pentagon shaped tank including pentagonside walls 22, 24, a first end wall 26, and second end wall 28connecting to a pair of inclined bottom panels 30, 32 which converge atan obtuse angle forming a drain 34 at the convergence thereof. A cover36 having a top surface 37 and bottom surface 38 extends from the secondend wall 28 a selected distance toward the first end wall 26 and extendsupward at a selected obtuse angle of up to 50 degrees, more preferablyfrom 1 to 30 degrees, more preferably from 5-20 degrees, more preferablyfrom 7 to 15 degrees and most preferably about 10 degrees from ahorizontal position forming a gradual inclined plane. A purge oilchamber 40 defining a deep vessel with narrow walls is formed within thechamber 20 wherein a top end wall portion 42 of the first end wall 26connects to an inner purge oil chamber wall 44 by a bottom wall portion46, all of which connect to the pentagon side walls 22, 24. A firstpurge oil baffle 48 projects inwardly from the end wall portion 42 at anangle of from 25 to 75 degrees and more preferably at an angle of about45-55 degrees and most preferably an angle of about 50 degrees. A secondvertical baffle 50 extends upward from the inner purge oil chamber wall44 a distance greater than that of said first purge oil baffle 48 andsaid second end wall 28.

Stage 1—Quiescent/Coalescing Process

In stage 1 of the separation process, the quiescent/coalescent chamber20 receives oily (oil/water) solution transferred through line 14 frompump 13 into inlet 15. This chamber 20 is liquid tight and is filled toa selected level so that an overflow of oil/water level occurs and theoil/water solution spills over the top surface 37 of the cover 36wherein the top edge 52 functions as a weir and the top surface 37 ofthe cover 36 functions as a means of conveying the liquid mixture or asa “liquid conveyor” 54. Controlling flow rate and the level of theoil/water solution in the chamber 20 creates a slow moving laminar flowpassing over the liquid conveyor whereby the chamber 20 maintains ahigher fluid level than any other compartment within the unit 10. Theoily solution is forced up to the water conveyor area and overflows downto a rotating drum 56.

Stage 2—Fluid Conveyor—

The fluid conveyor process is best illustrated in FIG. 2, which showsthe oil/water liquid overflowing the chamber 20 and flowing down thewater conveyor 54. The oily solution is carried to the rotating drum 56for removal of tramp oil or other liquid having a density or otherphysical or chemical characteristic which can be utilized to create anaffinity for the separable component to stick or adhere to the surfaceof the rotating drum. As shown, a thin layer of solution overflows theliquid conveyor weir 54 wherein the oil having less density than watertends to float to the surface of the laminar flow which carries thetramp oil to the rotating drum 56. The tramp oil floats to the surfaceand the “water conveyor”, liquid conveyor 54 continually pushes (orconveys) the oil to the rotating drum for removal. The liquid conveyor54 can as an option include an irregular surface with ridges, bumps,dimples or grooves on the entire surface or portions thereof to enhancethe ⋅ liquid component separation.

Stage 3—Mechanical Oil Separation—

The oil separation process regards the steps of separation of thefluids, (oil and water) from the oily solution by mechanical means. Thissection is where the lighter density fluids such as floating tramp oilsare mechanically removed from the solution. The rotating drum surface isconstructed from metal (copper, steel, stainless steel, aluminum, orcombinations thereof) and/or plastic material (a polyethylene, apolypropylene, a nylon, a rubber, a silicon material, an elastomer, apolyvinylchloride, ABS, or other plastic materials depending upon thephysical and chemical properties of the fluids to be separated such asthe tramp oil/water chemical properties. Most oils have an affinity forcertain types of plastics. This is a point of novelty with regard to theoverall design of the unit because it allows for uses of various drummaterials depending upon the chemical properties of the fluids toenhance adhesion of a selected one of the fluids to the drum. It isanticipated that more than one drum can be utilized in a series in fluidcommunication with the fluid conveyor as shown in FIGS. 1-16 wherein afluid containing three separatable components would contact a first drumhaving a component removed therefrom and the remaining fluid would flowalong a fluid conveyor at least one other drum where a second componentwould adhere to a drum having a surface comprising a material having anaffinity for another second component which would adhere thereto and beremovable from the rotating drum leaving the remaining fluid flowingalong the fluid conveyor to be collected for further processing orstorage. Moreover, the rotating drums could be coated with a chelatingsubstance to remove chemical toxins, heavy metals, or other chemicalcontaminants. The drum surface or removable sleeve 57 covering the drummay comprise a film, or metal or plastic material, comprising animpervious material or porous and be inert or covered with a carbonmaterial for absorption of odoriferous contaminants. Moreover, the drumsurface or sleeve material could comprise a micro porous substancewherein a selected portion of the liquid could pass through the rotatingdrum and siphoned off to a collection vessel. The drum surface and/orsleeve could also utilize surface irregularities, either macro ormicroscopic in size to aid in adsorption of materials. Furthermore, itis anticipated that the rotating drum may be heated by steam of hotliquid such as water or oil or cooled by a liquid such as water,water/alcohol, water/glycol, or gas to facilitate the adhesion ⋅ orabsorption capabilities of the rotating drum features. Moreover, therotating drum surface or sleeve can be comprised of a material having anelectric potential and carry an ionic charge attractive to selectedsubstrates.

The rotating drum 56 is powered by a variable speed electric motor 58which rotates the drum at an optimal selected speed based on the maximumefficiency for adherence or adsorption/absorption of the lighter densitymaterial to the drum. For example, in the process of removing tramp oilfrom an oil solution such as water, the drum rotates at approximately 7RPM using a low voltage gear motor. The gear motor also includes a speedcontroller such that the drum rotation can be increased or, for exampleremoving tramp oil from water, slowed to 1 RPM (or less) depending uponthe need. The drum and gear motor assembly is modular in that it can beeasily removed for repair. This assembly also incorporates verticaladjustment to control the immersion depth of the drum 56 in solution.

As shown in FIGS. 2-6, the lighter density fluid component, for example,the tramp oil or concentrated fluid product 100 adheres to the clockwiserotating drum and is removed by a wiper 60 comprising a blade of metalor plastic material which extends across at least a portion of therotating drum and cooperatively engages the rotating drum 56 surface orsleeve 57 surface and may touch or be spaced apart therefrom a selecteddistance depending upon the physical and chemical properties of theconcentrated fluid product 100 sufficient to remove all or most of theconcentrated product. The wiper 60 as shown in FIG. 3 is spaced apartfrom the rotating drum. The wiper 60 is supported by a baffle whichforms and inner baffle end wall 62 to a concentrated product chamber 64which includes a bottom wall 66 connecting to a first tank end wall 68of the main tank 12. The baffle end wall 62, bottom wall 66 and a firsttank end wall 68 connect to the first tank side wall 70 and second tankside wall 72. As shown, a submerged lower portion 74 of the baffle endwall 62 is spaced apart parallel from the tank end wall 68 and an upperportion 76 of the baffle end wall 62 projects inwardly toward therotating drum at an obtuse angle. The wiper 60 is attached to the upperportion 76 so that it projects at a selected angle therefrom forcooperative engagement and optimal removal of the concentrate product100 from the rotating drum 56. A discharge port 78 formed in the tankwall 68 is in fluid communication with the concentrated product to drainor collect same from the unit 10.

The region of the tank directly below the rotating drum 56 and in fluidcommunication with the fluid conveyor 54 comprises the mechanical oilseparation chamber 80 disposed between the quiescent coalescent chamberend wall 28, baffle end wall 62 and main tank side walls 70, 72. Theheavier density portion of the composite solution (oil/water) comprisesthe water which will include at least a residual amount of contaminantor in this example the diluted oil product defining the dilutedconcentrate product 81 as shown in FIG. 4.

Stage 4—Secondary Quiescent/Coalescent Chamber—

The secondary quiescent/coalescent chamber 80 comprises the immediatearea of the main tank 12 around the quiescent/coalescent chamber 20extending from the tank end wall 68 to the opposing tank end wall 168.It includes the portion of the main tank and is a continuation of themechanical oil separation chamber 80 in that it is designed to allowmore retention time within the unit for separation of fluids. Thediluted concentrate fluid product 81 continues to travel underneath theinner chamber 20, up and around a stationary baffle 82 which extendsupward vertically from the bottom floor 84 of the main tank 12 aselected distance to a selected point below the level of the dilutedconcentrate fluid 81 within the chamber 80. A portion of the dilutedconcentrate product containing a higher concentration of the concentrateproduct will spill over the baffle 82 and flow beneath an oil purgechamber baffle 84 which extends vertically from the bottom of a cleansolution chamber 86 a selected distance above the main tank floor 84.The lower portion 90 of the tank end wall 168 connecting to the tankfloor 84 extending over to the oil purge baffle 84 defines the oil purgechamber 88. The baffles disposed in the main tank provides a means tokeep the diluted concentrate product 100 moving while allowingsufficient residence time for fluid separation. The purge oil tank 88includes a top wall 92 disposed below the surface of the dilutedconcentrate product 81 in the secondary quiescent coalescent chamber 80.

Stage 5—Oil Purge Chamber—

The oil purge chamber 88 receives the diluted concentrate product suchas any residual tramp oils that was not removed by the rotating drum 56.In this compartment, the selected substrate for example, the tramp oilsare allowed to continually build on the surface of the solution for aperiod of time within the chamber 88 until the Purge Cycle initiated.The Purge Cycle can be initiated by using a density meter thatautomatically detects the density (or specific gravity) such as theMICRO MOTION 7828 Direct Insertion Density Meter by Emerson Products orINDUMAX CL250/CLW50D inductive conductivity sensor produced by Endressand Hauser, which are examples of conventional density/concentrationmeasuring devices which can be used to monitor the unwanted fluidrelated to the carrier fluid, for instance water, or by manuallyselecting the “Manual Purge” button on the main control panel. The PurgeCycle activates the pancake cylinder on the clean water outlet chamber.The cylinder raises the adjustable overflow tube which in turn raisesthe level in the unit as set forth in (Stage 6). Approximately 2 inchesallowing the residual unwanted fluid (tramp oil) to overflow the weir inthe oil purge chamber and flow out to the oil outlet piping. The purgecycle level is preset (but is adjustable) so that no water or othercarrier solution other than the lighter unwanted fluid (tramp oil) isallowed to overflow. Thus, upon initiating a purge cycle, anelectronically actuated cylinder 94 withdraws a plunger 96 from acollection tube 98 which extends through the top wall 92 and into thechamber 88 a selected depth. With the plunger in the downward extendedposition cleaned liquid (the higher density water portion of the dilutedconcentrate product) is allowed to enter the clean fluid tank 104disposed above the purge tank 88 and between the main tank end wall 168and a baffle 106 angled upward and extending a selected distance fromand parallel to a weir 48 projecting from the top end wall 42 of thechamber 20. The cleaned product is discharged through the main tank endwall 168 discharge port 104. At a preset time, a Purge Cycle isinitiated in which the level of the diluted concentrate product 81amassing in the oil purge chamber 88 and the plunger 96 rises to blockthe discharge port 104 in the unit 88 and the liquid level is forced torise (refer to Stage 6) a selected height of approximately 2″, and themore concentrated diluted concentrate product comprising residual oiloverflows a weir 48 and is collected in the Oil Purge Chamber 110 andflows out to the oil outlet piping. The Purge Cycle level is preset (butis adjustable) so that no water or solution other than unwanted fluid(tramp oils) is allowed to overflow.

Stage 6—Clean Solution, Adjustable Outlet—

The clean solution chamber 86 receives clean solution from Stage 4. Theclean fluid flows up through an adjustable outlet pipe and dischargesout to process. The key feature in this section is the adjustableoverflow outlet pipe. Adjustability is accomplished by using an airoperated, pancake cylinder to raise the outlet pipe to a preset height.This feature is completely automatic and is used to raise the fluidlevel in the OWS in order to accomplish the purge cycle (refer to Stage5). When the cylinder raises the outlet pipe, the level in the unitincreases allowing unwanted fluids to overflow out of the unit. Thisfeature is on a timed cycle and can be adjusted to any range of secondsto hours. Initially, the unit time setting is—Raise level for 30 seconds(raise outlet pipe), return to normal operating level for 20 minutes(lower outlet pipe to original position). Repeat cycle.

Examples

Example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will bethorough, and will fully convey the scope to those who are skilled inthe art. Numerous specific details are set forth such as examples ofspecific components, devices, and methods, to provide a thoroughunderstanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will beapparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not beemployed, that example embodiments may be embodied in many differentforms and that neither should be construed to limit the scope of thedisclosure. In some example embodiments, well-known processes,well-known device structures, and well-known technologies are notdescribed in detail.

The following examples describe preferred embodiments of the invention.Other embodiments within the scope of the claims herein will be apparentto one skilled in the art from consideration of the specification orpractice of the invention as disclosed herein. It is intended that thespecification, together with the examples, be considered exemplary only,with the scope and spirit of the invention being indicated by the claimswhich follow the examples.

A Dual & Multi-Stage Oil Removal product for separation and removal oftramp oils from liquids employs boundary layer theory principles forflat-plate, laminar flows for estimating flow velocity profiles andliquid level heights to ensure effective capture and removal of trampoils. The novel design features include a coalescing/quiescent tank toallow free oils to rise to the surface, water conveyance for carryingunwanted oils to composite drum for removal Composite drum formechanical removal of unwanted oils, automatic purge cycle for removalof residual oils, and automatic adjustable overflow working in tandemwith the purge feature.

FLOW VOLUME APPROXIMATE RATE WEIGHT FULL DIMENSIONS MODEL (GPM) EMPTY(LBS) (GAL) A B C B-5 to 5 400 50 16″ 38″ 27″ B-10  5-10 500 65 20″ 38″27″ B-25 10-25 750 125 36″ 42″ 33″ B-50 25-50 900 215 40″ 46″ 36″

As illustrated in FIG. 11, in the above identified models, oily solutionenters the Coalescing Chamber where tramp oil in solution is allowed torise to the surface. The oil is carried to the Composite Drum Stationvia the water conveyor. The tramp oil adheres to the Composite RotatingDrum and is removed from solution. The Drum speed is adjustable rangingup to 9 RPM. The solution continues to flow underneath the CoalescingTank, up and over Baffle #1, down and around Baffle #2, up through theAdjustable Overflow Tube and through the Solution Outlet port. Oil-freesolution flows out the Solution Outlet port and back to process.

The Automatic Purge feature is fully automatic. At a pre-set time, thecylinder actuates raising the overflow tube to a pre-set height andresidual tramp oil is forced over a weir and out the Purge Outlet port.This feature allows for the capture of residual tramp oils thatpotentially migrates past the Rotating Drum.

Skimmer

An oil/water skimmer 300 is a primary separation process which removes alayer of oil 302 floating on a surface of oil contaminated water 304 tobe processed which subsequently concentrated and separated in an oilwater separator which removes tramp oils or other fluids, such ashydraulic oils, with specific gravity less than that of the operatingfluid are required to be removed from operating fluid such as water,lubri-coolants or other liquids. The skimmer supplies concentrated oilwater composite fluid to a holding tank or an oil/water separatorapparatus designed for use in industrial applications in which unwantedtramp oils or other fluids, such as hydraulic oils, with specificgravity less than that of the operating fluid are required to be removedfrom operating fluid such as water, lubri-coolants or other liquids.

The skimmer 300 for the oil water separator, comprises or consists ofthe following components. A stationary receiver box 306 includes a backwall 320 connecting to a front wall 322 having side flanges 364 and 365extending upward to the top of the box with a central wall section 366extending upward a selected distance between the left and right sideflanges 364. The back wall 320 and front wall 322 connects to side walls324 and 326 respectively, all of which connect to a bottom wall 328having a aperture therein for connecting to a tube or pipe 330 in fluidconnection to a holding tank or oil/water separation unit. A movableweir plate 316 includes a central vertical slot 308 therein extendingfrom a selected position below the top edge 309 to the bottom edge 311of the plate 316. The weir plate 316 also includes a pair of verticalslots 361 and 362 respectively disposed near the top of the plate 316along the along each side, whereby the weir plate 316 is slidablysupported by a pair of front flanges 364 extending from the front panelof the stationary receiver box 306. A holding means such as a bolt andnut, or other fastener 332 movably secures the weir plate 316 to theouter surface of the receiver box 306.

Holding means such as a clamp 280 secure the skimmer holding brackets310 to a tank 314 by attaching to a rear surface 334 supports thestationary receiver box 306 on an interior surface 312 of a tank 314containing water having oil floating on a surface thereof. A verticallyadjustable skimming weir plate 316 with central vertical slot 308therein is in slidable engagement with the stationary receiver box 306.A horizontal weir top edge 309 is cut or formed whereby a centrallongitudinal section 319 extends below the shoulder 342 of the weirplate 316 a selected distance connecting to an angled portion 340 and341 extending upward to join the side shoulder 342 and 343 respectively.

One or more floats, and preferably at least one pair of floats 350 shownas square or rectangular bodies can be formed in cylindrical, sphericalor other shape are sized to provide selected buoyancy to the weir plate316. It is anticipated that removable plugs can be removed from thefloats to adjust the float depth. A float 350 includes a longitudinalfloat bracket 352 attaching thereto at the side; however, the attachmentof the bracket may at another selected location so long as the floatbracket 352 extends from a side of the float 352 adjacent the receiverbox 306. The outer edge of the float bracket 352 includes a verticalslot for accepting a fastener or nut/bolt arrangement releaseably andadjustably attaching to the vertical weir plate side flange or tabs 344removably and adjustably affixed to tabs extending therefrom. Thevertical float flange 344 includes an arrow or other sight indicator 346which points to a column of vertical indicia 354 disposed on the side ofthe float brackets 352 allowing for vertical adjustment of the floatswith respect to the slidable weir plate 316.

The skimmer separates and concentrates oil from an oil/water mixturebased upon the specific gravity of the lighter fluid floating on thedenser and heavier fluid whereby the concentrated oil containing watercontaminants is further processed in an oil water separator apparatuswhich can be of a minimum size for concentrating the oil based on asmaller throughput volume as compared to the oil and water fluid priorto being processed with the skimmer. An important feature is theattachment of the slide plate by a single bolt or pin 332 to allow theweir plate to pivot slightly and minimize binding caused by waves offluid motion against the floats which tend to cause the weir plate 316to cock and get in a bind. Use of a single attachment point allows somepivoting of the skimmer weir 316 reducing friction on the weir plate 316and minimizing binding of the weir plate 316 against the receiver box306.

A slidable weir plate including a central longitudinal slot on the lowerportion is slideably received within the stationary receiver box andslidably held in an aligned selected position with respect to the slotof the stationary receiver box and held in position by a single boltallowing the plate “play” or limited movement to eliminate binding ofthe plate within the receiver box when movement of the liquid thereincauses movement of floats held by the slidable weir plate. The topportion of the slidable weir plate includes a slightly lower cutawayportion comprising a weir for removal of oil floating on the surface ofa fluid in fluid communication with the stationary receiver box.

As shown in FIG. 17-30, a pair of generally rectangular floats areremovably and adjustably attached by longitudinal vertical flangesextending from the inner sides to cooperatively and slidably engage sideplate side tabs extending outward laterally from the upper portion ofthe slidable weir plate. The float flanges and/or slide plate tabsinclude indicia to enable the floats to be adjusted with respect to theslide plate in order to optimize the skimming capability of the skimmerby adjusting the position of the slide plate weir with respect to theoil floating on the surface of the contaminated fluid and the level ofwater in the tank and stationary reservoir. Moreover, the attachment ofthe slide plate by a single bolt or pin allows the plate to pivotslightly and minimize binding caused by waves of fluid motion againstthe floats which tend to cause the weir plate to cock and get in a bind.A point of novelty lies in using a single attachment point allowing somepivotaiton of the skimmer weir reducing friction on the weir plate andminimizing binding of the weir plate against the receiver box.

FIGS. 20-30 illustrate the skimmer float attachment brackets showing thedepth indicia as a vertical scale of hash marks formed, marked, orapplied as a tape to the movable vertical inner sides of the bracketsholding the floats to the skimmer. The skimmer weir plate is shown inthe down position with the floats attaching thereto by the flat bracketsslidable with respect to the outer wall of the stationary receiver boxattaching to a the interior of a tank filled with fluid. The bracketshold the stationary skimmer receiver box to the side wall and a floatattaching to a float bracket which is movable vertically with respect tothe stationary receiver box and showing an indicator on the receivingbox pointing to indicia shown as a scale on the movable float bracket.

Process Method

A method for removing a first fluid such as an oil having a firstdensity floating on a second fluid such as water having a greaterdensity comprises the following steps. The mixture of the first fluidand the second fluid are pumped into a separation tank. The first fluidconcentrates and accumulates due to surface tension forces of a firstless dense layer floating on a second more dense fluid in the separationtank. Surface tension is the elastic tendency of a fluid surface whichmakes it acquire the least surface area possible. At the liquid-liquidinterface of liquids having different densities, surface tension resultsfrom the greater attraction of like liquid molecules to each other (dueto cohesion) than to the molecules of the dissimilar liquid (due toadhesion). The net effect is an inward force at its surface that causesthe denser liquid to behave as if its surface were covered with astretched elastic membrane. Separation of oil and water is caused by atension in the surface between dissimilar liquids. This type of surfacetension is called “interface tension”. The first fluid from is separatedfrom the second fluid by skimming the first fluid off of the secondfluid in a skimmer comprising a stationary receiver box including acentral vertical stationary receiver box slot therein. Bracket means forsupporting the stationary receiver box is used to fasten it to aninterior surface of the separation tank. The skimmer includes avertically moveable weir plate including a central vertical slot thereinin slidable engagement with a holding means extending from a front wallof the stationary receiver box. The weir plate includes a horizontalweir extending across a selected width of the top thereof in fluidcommunication with the first fluid and the second fluid contained in theseparation tank. The skimmer includes a pair of floats having verticalside flanges with indicia disposed thereon removably and adjustablyaffixed to a weir plate side tab extending from each side of the weirplate cooperatively engaging the float flange. The float flanges includeindicia for vertical adjustment of the floats with respect to theindicator on the side tab of the weir plate. The level of the weir plateis adjusted with respect to the level of the first fluid and the secondfluid in the separation tank. The first fluid floats on the second fluidpouring over a top edge of the weir plate and flowing into thestationary receiver and through a conduit to a holding tank or fluiddensity separator unit. The concentrated first fluid product stillcontains at least some of the second fluid as a contaminant and ispumped into a holding tank or flows directly from the skimmer to thefluid density separator. The fluid density separator (oil/waterseparator), comprises a chamber with a top and bottom surface, a wallsurrounding the periphery of the chamber; an inlet port in the topsurface of the chamber; an outlet port on the chamber; a spiral plate,the spiral plate having an outer edge in sealing engagement with thewall of the chamber and the spiral plate formed in an upright funnelshape; and a center spillway, extending from the inlet port to thebottom surface of the chamber separating the first fluid from the secondfluid. The concentrated first fluid is separated and collectedseparately from the second fluid which is recycled or deposed of aswaste material.

The foregoing detailed description is given primarily for clearness ofunderstanding and no unnecessary limitations are to be understoodtherefrom, for modification will become obvious to those skilled in theart upon reading this disclosure and may be made upon departing from thespirit of the invention and scope of the appended claims. Accordingly,this invention is not intended to be limited by the specificexemplification presented herein above. Rather, what is intended to becovered is within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

We claim:
 1. A skimmer for an oil water separator, comprising: astationary receiver box including a central vertical stationary receiverbox slot therein; bracket means for supporting said stationary receiverbox onto a interior surface of a tank containing water having oilfloating of a surface thereof; a slidable weir plate including a centralvertical slot therein in slidable engagement with said stationaryreceiver box slot and a horizontal weir extending across a selectedwidth of the top of said slidable weir plate; a pair of floats includingvertical side flanges removably and adjustably affixed to tabs extendingfrom said slide weir plate; said vertical flanges or said tabs includingindicia for vertical adjustment of said floats with respect to saidslidable weir plate.
 2. The skimmer of claim 1 including a oil/waterfluid separator in fluid communication therewith, said oil/waterseparator comprising a chamber with a top and bottom surface, a wallsurrounding the periphery of said chamber; an inlet port in said topsurface of said chamber; an outlet port on said chamber; a spiral plate,said spiral plate having an outer edge in sealing engagement with saidwall of said chamber and said spiral plate formed in an upright funnelshape; and a center spillway, extending from said inlet port to saidbottom surface of said chamber.
 3. A method for removing a first fluidhaving a first density floating on a second fluid having a greaterdensity comprising the steps of: pumping a mixture of said first fluidand said second fluid into a separation tank; accumulating andconcentrating said first fluid in a layer floating on said second fluidin said separation tank; separating said first fluid from said secondfluid by skimming said first fluid off of said second fluid in a skimmercomprising a stationary receiver box including a central verticalstationary receiver box slot therein, bracket means for supporting saidstationary receiver box onto a interior surface of said separation tank,said skimmer including a vertically moveable weir plate including acentral vertical slot therein in slidable engagement with a holdingmeans attaching to said stationary receiver box, said weir plateincluding a horizontal weir extending across a selected width of the topthereof in fluid communication with said first fluid and said secondfluid contained in said separation tank, said skimmer including a pairof floats having vertical side flanges with indicia disposed thereonremovably and adjustably affixed to a weir plate side tab extending fromeach side of said weir plate cooperatively engaging said float flange,said float flanges including indicia for vertical adjustment of saidfloats with respect to said indicator on said side tab of said weirplate, and adjusting the level of said weir plate with respect to thelevel of said first fluid and said second fluid in said separation tank,said first fluid floating on said second fluid pouring over a top edgeof said weir plate and flowing into said stationary receiver and througha conduit to a holding tank or fluid density separator unit; and pumpingsaid first fluid containing a portion of said second fluid from saidskimmer from said holding tank or said skimmer to said fluid densityseparator comprising a chamber with a top and bottom surface, a wallsurrounding the periphery of said chamber; an inlet port in said topsurface of said chamber; an outlet port on said chamber; a spiral plate,said spiral plate having an outer edge in sealing engagement with saidwall of said chamber and said spiral plate formed in an upright funnelshape; and a center spillway, extending from said inlet port to saidbottom surface of said chamber separating said first fluid from saidsecond fluid.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein said first fluidcomprises an oil.
 5. The method of claim 3, wherein said second fluidcomprises water.